As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney touted new energy sources. Now, he labels members of Obama Cabinet as the "gas-tax trio," and says dismissively: "You can't drive a car with a windmill on it."

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney touted new energy sources. Now, he labels members of Obama Cabinet as the "gas-tax trio," and says dismissively: "You can't drive a car with a windmill on it."

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

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Presidential candidate Rick Santorum says President Obama's energy policies are based on a "phony theology" and asserts: "We went into a recession in 2008 because of high gas prices."

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum says President Obama's energy policies are based on a "phony theology" and asserts: "We went into a recession in 2008 because of high gas prices."

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

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Newt Gingrich has promised $2.50-a-gallon gas prices if elected, charges that Obama energy policies are product of a "radical ideology which wants to artificially raise the cost of energy."

Newt Gingrich has promised $2.50-a-gallon gas prices if elected, charges that Obama energy policies are product of a "radical ideology which wants to artificially raise the cost of energy."

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

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The propaganda campaigns Big Oil -- Misleading America

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If you are a professional model well turned out in a pants suit, Big Oil may have a job for you performing in commercials running nonstop on Cable TV: Legs are a tool when it comes to marketing lies.

The petroleum industry, its trade groups and secretive front groups underwritten by oil men have taken to the airwaves to tout a drill-baby-drill energy "strategy" and trash the Obama administration for daring to encourage new energy technologies.

Why do they need to do this, or to spend $146 million last year in lobbying Congress? The nation's three largest oil companies took in $80 billion in profits during 2011. Every penny increase in the price of gasoline pumps $200 million into the coffers of Big Oil.

Yet, the American Petroleum Institute cranked up TV commercials decrying the President's proposal to end $2.5 billion a year in industry subsidies, and to redirect dollars toward developing nascent technologies. The propaganda line: "Another bad idea from Washington -- higher taxes that could lead to higher prices."

It's getting where you need a program to tell the players. An outfit called the American Energy Alliance has launched a $3.6 million anti-Obama ad campaign in eight "Battleground" states. Its spot is entitled "Nine dollar gas," and charges: "Obama opposed exploring for energy in Alaska."

The AEA is tied into something called the Institute for Energy Research. Both are underwritten -- as we learned from Ken Vogel in Politico -- by billionaire oilmen Charles and David Koch. The Koch brothers have vowed to raise and spend $200 million to deny the President a second term. A key player in these groups is former Koch aide Tom Pyle.

Another Koch-affiliated group, Americans for Prosperity, has aired $6 million in anti-Obama ads. The Karl Rove-affiliated group, Crossroads GPS, shelled out $680,000 for an ad campaign flaying the Obama administration on energy.

Joel Connelly has been a staff columnist for more than 30 years. He comments regularly on politics and public policy.

None of these "educational" groups is required to disclose its donors. An educated guess: They're the guys who pocketing millions from high oil prices, blaming Obama, and resisting paying any higher taxes or relinquishing any corporate welfare.

Washington isn't seeing the Koch handiwork. AEA spots are targeted at swing states. We do see "Vote4Energy" commercials, the let-us-drill-where-we-want ads of the American Petroleum Institute, plus Chevron touting its noble motives.

Republican politicians are fanning the falsehoods ginned up by televised propaganda.

Mitt Romney, who as a governor touted new energy sources, now delivers sound bites like: "You can't drive a car with a windmill on it." Newt Gingrich says President Obama is following a "radical ideology, which wants to artificially raise the cost of energy." Rick Santorum speaks of the President's "phony theology," and says: "We went into a recession in 2008 because of high gas prices."

Along with other claims, this one is phony. President Obama has not opposed "exploring in Alaska." The administration has given the green light for Shell Oil to drill exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea, off Alaska's North Coast, dismaying environmental groups.

The price of oil is set by a global marketplace, not Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Economic recovery and climbing demand -- e.g. China and India -- have caused prices to go up. If we want to return to the gas prices when President Obama took office, do we want to go back to economic conditions as of January, 2009.

The world is also worried about possible conflict with Iran. The same politicians demagoging oil prices have taken up Sen. John McCain's 2008 Beach Boys parody, "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

Domestic production of oil is at an eight-year high, while in 2011 the United States imported one million FEWER barrels of oil than it did in 2010. The fuel efficiency of America's vehicle fleet is up sharply, and will top 50 miles per gallon in the next decade.

A simple suggestion: When you see Big Oil's TV handwork, think of your children.

The Koch brothers, oil tycoons both, are blood enemies of the Clean Air Act . . . and hence friends of children's asthma. Unrestrained burning of fossil fuels is changing climate and warming the planet our kids will inherit. Our investment in new energy will determine whether it's U.S. kids, or China's kids, will reap a major source of 21st Century jobs.

Our future depends on having leaders who do NOT march in lockstep with the people paying for Big Oil's propaganda blitz.

Columnist Joel Connelly has written about politics for the P-I since 1973.